Presenting the acclaimed old-time, Southern Appalachian string band The Roan Mountain Hilltoppers & caller Anna Lena Phillips.
Welcome in the Spring with a square dance benefit & silent auction with proceeds going to preserve the Piedmont and stop fracking from coming to North Carolina.
lesson at 7:30 p.m. dance at 8:00 on Saturday April 27th with a silent auction.
Location: The Paperhand Puppet Intervention Studio
6079 Swepsonville Saxapahaw Rd. in Saxapahaw, NC
Entrance: $10-20 donation $5 for kids under 16
Square Dance FAQ:
Do I need to know how to dance? Nobody needs to know anything to dance a square dance. The inclination to try it out and to have a good time will get you through.
I used to do this in high school/grade school gym, which was embarrassing and weird. Is it going to be like that? No. Well, probably not. In my experience as a dancer and as a caller, square dancing helps folks in all kinds of social situations have fun together. As a caller, I do my best to help everyone have a good time. That’s the important thing—to give good people an excuse to jump up and down, or go in circles, together, so they don’t have to think what move to do next. When a dance is really going it can be amazing. And not a trace of gym class in the room (unless you count sweat. Sometimes people do sweat).
Do I have to get a special outfit? You do not. There are teams of dancers who dance Western squares, which are hot stuff—they’re highly choreographed and the dancers wear crinolines, snap-button shirts, and the like. I love a crinoline, and I do see a fair number of Western shirts on the floor these days, but there’s no dress code for oldtime Appalachian squares. You can wear what you want.
Do I have to dance with the same person all night/Do I have to have a different partner every dance? The answer to both of these questions is no. You can dance with whomever you want—that is, anybody who, when you ask nicely, is willing to dance with you. It’s nice to mix it up and dance with different folks throughout the course of the night, but that is not required. I like to call in a way that preserves the tradition of oldtime square dancing while relying as little as possible on gender to clarify the moves. That way everyone gets to dance every part they want to and with everyone they want to.